Recaps

After Xu Qi'an was sentenced for wounding Zhu Chengzhu, the destruction at Mulberry Lake gave him a chance to earn his release by investigating the culprits. He uncovered a plot involving the Demon Race and an ancient seal, and learned that Azure Dragon Temple’s concealment artifact had been stolen by Henghui, who fled with Commandery Princess Pingyang.

• Xu Qi'an wounded Silver Gong Zhu Chengzhu while stopping him from assaulting a girl, then surrendered rather than flee and was sentenced by Wei Yuan to be executed in seven days.
• The eldest princess secured Xu Qi'an a half-month to investigate the destruction of the Temple of Eternal Suppression of Mountains and Rivers, and Wei Yuan appointed him lead investigator.
• Xu Qi'an traced the gunpowder to saltpeter from Mount Dahuang and identified Hundred Household Zhou Chixiong as a Gold Guard spy who had fled the capital, while suspecting a larger plot behind him.
• Xu Qi'an and the Earth Book group linked the case to the Demon Race and a seal beneath Mulberry Lake, and Xu Qi'an realized the sealed entity was the first Supervisor.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that the Gu God was awakening and that the first Supervisor had been sealed beneath the lake, then continued investigating instead of leaving the capital.
• Xu Qi'an found County Magistrate Zhao dead in his cell and considered whether a shaman or another faction had silenced him, then sought the eldest princess’s help researching the ancient case.
• At Azure Dragon Temple, Xu Qi'an tricked Master Hengqing into condemning the court and ordered his arrest, but Abbot Panshu revealed that Henghui had stolen the temple’s concealment artifact and fled with Commandery Princess Pingyang.
• Abbot Panshu explained that Pagoda Temple had guarded the seal beneath Mulberry Lake and that the Devil Creature’s emergence foretold chaos, while Xu Qi'an’s mention of Hengyuan visibly unsettled Hengqing.

Xu Qi'an traced the Mulberry Lake disaster to Henghui and the demon forces behind the sealed hand while uncovering the truth about Commandery Princess Pingyang’s death. The case reached the emperor as the Heaven and Earth Society learned of a looming confrontation with Zhou Chixiong.

• Xu Qi'an investigated Henghui’s links to the missing Azure Dragon Temple artifact and learned that Henghui had eloped with Commandery Princess Pingyang.
• The Spirit Dragon rampaged through the palace, but Xu Qi'an stopped it from reaching Lin'an and earned the emperor’s reward while keeping his deadline to solve the case.
• Xu Qi'an and Daoist Jinlian followed clues to Earl Pingyuan’s residence, where Henghui killed the earl’s legitimate son and escaped Xu Qi'an’s attack.
• Xu Qi'an identified Henghui as the killer and discovered that the monk carried the sealed hand from beneath Mulberry Lake, while a fox demon confessed that the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons had helped release it.
• Henghui imprisoned Hengyuan and revealed his desire for revenge, but later died after passing that burden to him.
• Hengyuan recounted how Earl Pingyuan’s son and two officials’ sons attacked him and Pingyang, and the Nightwatchers found Pingyang’s remains beneath an old locust tree.
• Prince Yu identified Pingyang’s hairpin and went to petition the emperor, while Xu Qi'an told Huaiqing and the royal siblings how the couple had died.
• Xu Qi'an announced in the Earth Book exchange that he had solved the case, then learned that Number Two had located Zhou Chixiong at a mountain stronghold.

Xu Qi'an exposed the Shaman God Cult’s links to court officials while buying a haunted house and helping Wei Yuan weather a political attack. He settled his family into their new home, aided Hengyuan’s charity, and turned his homemade chicken seasoning into a success at court.

• Shenshu entered Xu Qi'an’s body and asked him to help recover his lost memories, while Xu Qi'an kept their connection secret.
• Xu Qi'an arranged for Zhou Chixiong to be captured and brought before the emperor, where Zhou named Minister of Rites Li Yulang as the mastermind behind the Mulberry Lake plot.
• Xu Qi'an and Chu Caiwei investigated a haunted well, where Xu Qi'an learned from a murdered woman’s memories that Minister Liu had dealings with the Shaman God Cult and Yunzhou.
• Xu Qi'an led Nightwatchers in a raid on the trafficking den, and the female ghost’s memories exposed Minister Liu’s crimes before the court.
• Xu Qi'an bought the haunted residence, helped secure the release of the imprisoned Nightwatchers, and moved his family into the repaired house.
• Xu Qi'an and his colleagues donated to Hengyuan’s Nourishing Life Hall, and Yang Qianhuan secretly treated a dying child there.
• Xu Qi'an taught Chu Caiwei how to make chicken essence, and Song Qing and Chu Caiwei developed it into MSG.
• Wei Yuan used Xu Qi'an’s chicken essence to help the empress regain her appetite, while Princess Huaiqing revealed that Wei Yuan had sent her mother half the jar.

Xu Qi'an accompanied Governor Zhang and Jiang Lyuzhong to investigate Yang Chuannan’s suspected collusion with Yunzhou’s bandits. After exposing an iron ore smuggling operation along the way, he recovered a cryptic clue left by the murdered Nightwatcher Zhou Min and met Yunzhou’s officials.

• Wei Yuan assigned Xu Qi'an to accompany Jiang Lyuzhong to Yunzhou, protect Governor Zhang, and find evidence against Yang Chuannan.
• Xu Qi'an spent a night aboard a boat with Princess Lin'an before departing, while the Director secretly sent Yang Qianhuan to Yunzhou.
• Xu Qi'an intercepted a barge carrying stolen iron ore to Yunzhou, but the investigation stalled after investigators found Convoy Commissioner Yan Kai murdered.
• Xu Qi'an visited Layman Ziyang in Qingzhou, composed an admonition for officials, and received advice to protect Zhang Xingying.
• Jiang Lyuzhong’s party rescued travelers from an ambush, and Xu Qi'an identified Yang Yingying as Zhou Min’s widow.
• Yang Yingying gave Governor Zhang half a jade pendant, and Xu Qi'an recovered Zhou Min’s belongings after forcing local officials to return embezzled silver.
• Xu Qi'an decoded Zhou Min’s riddles and found a pouch at Siming Bridge containing two sets of numbers, while continuing his sleepless cultivation toward the Spirit Refining Realm.
• Xu Qi'an attended a banquet with Yunzhou’s officials, suspected Li Miaozhen was Number Two, and challenged Commissioner Song’s claim that seedless loquats were a temple blessing.